Think about the communities to which you belong. Is there a “single story” of your community? Your hometown? Your job? Your hobbies and interests? Your country? How did that “single story” come to be, and what is true and not true about it? Has the “single story” changed over time? We will do some brainstorming work to get to the heart of these questions before you start your draft.
In this essay, you will discuss a “single story” of your chosen community. You’ll want to explain how this form of stereotyping has affected both you and other members of this community, and how it’s shaped others’ understanding of your community. You will also want to deliver a clear scene that shows one moment in time where this “single story” has affected you. Perhaps your scene will be a moment in time when you understood the dangers that your “single story” presented. Discuss the ways, too, that this myth can be dispelled to let others understand the true complexities of your community. In class, we’ll discuss some structural ideas to help you bring these ideas to the page.
